Searching
by Deidara-fangirl1
Summary: Daryl and his new "friends" get caught in a sticky situation while searching for the man who killed there friend as Rick, with danger closing in from all directions, is forced to stray from his search for Terminus. Beth and her new partner in survival must chose between believing in the "good people" who are left and saving themselves. Will they find what they're searching for?
1. Daryl

~Daryl

Joe pushed the boxes out of the way and revealed the young woman. Her fiery red curls were loose and wild, playing with her icy blue eyes. She stood up slowly, eyeing the men around her.

"Well, well, well…what do we have here?" Joe asked with a chuckle as he looked her over. She was slender, lean, and well equipped. Double hip holsters held twin, standard police issued, 45 .mm, black leather boots held a hunting knife a piece, and from the looks of it a 50 cal. in the back of her black legging like pants.

"Not the trouble you're looking for, I promise." She assured, aggressive demeanor lacing her tone.

"Well I'm not all too worried about it." One of the other men said stepping up out of the semi-circle. "Can't wait to show you a thing or too." A cough erupted from the pile of boxes behind the woman.

"Goddammit…" She huffed.

"Come on out here sweetie." Joe called to the girl who was evidently still hiding. The second she stood up my heart sank. The redhead pulled both pistols from there holsters and pointed them at the man. The others, excluding Joe and myself, raised their guns and weapons to rival her.

"That just ain't to smart." Another chimed in. The blonde girl clinging to the redhead was Beth.

"Beth…" It felt like a whisper but I had evidently spoken out. Everyone's eyes fell on me, including hers.

"Daryl?" She whispered, the standoff had her guard high and confusion was clear on her face. The man from before smirked and lowered his gun, taking another step forward.

"I claim 'em both."

"Like hell you do!" I growled, stepping forward. Beth clung to the redhead who instantly tensed. "You won't touch a hair on her damn head!"

"You know the rules boy." The man smirked. "I claimed 'em." I raised my bow and aimed the point right at his head.

"Daryl you know the rules here." Joe said stepping in. "But boys I honestly don't think the redhead is up for being claimed.

"You damn right." The girl snarled. Beth shook her head slowly and stepped away from her body guard. I lowered my bow and went to her, checking to be sure she was fine. Joe took a step back and crossed his arms.

"You know the rules Daryl, you break 'em and I can't help you." Joe turned away from me and looked at the heavily armed woman. "You can't shoot 'em all…and you can't blame 'em for their mentality."

"Baby doll," the redhead shook her head, "I'm not gonna kill 'em."

"Then how do y'all plan on gettin' out of here?" Joe asked simply. The girl smirked and fired a single round…gaze still locked with Joe. I looked at the man she had been focused on moments before in time to see him fall to his knee. He was holding his groin as blood seeped through his fingers and screams field the room.

"I'm just gonna walk the fuck out." Joe held his hands up in an almost mock surrender. Beth buried her face into my back and I stood tense. Surprised this had been the woman Beth was out and about with.


	2. Rick

~Rick

I lifted the shirt over my head, set it on the bathroom counter, and looked in the mirror at myself. The bruise on my side was still a purple but the outside was tinged with the yellow which entitled healing. The only remaining injury other than the bruise was the healing gunshot on my left thigh.

"You're lucky he didn't break any ribs." Her voice came from the doorway. I looked over to Michonne and nodded.

"At first it damn sure felt like it." I said, looking back to the mirror. "I should have killed him, I should have spent less time farming and more time…I could have saved Hershel…I could have saved them all." The room was silent for the longest time as my guilt fell heavy over the two of us.

"I saw your tracks leaving the prison." She admitted. "I was minutes behind you." I looked at her. She was leaning on the door frame with her arms crossed and head down. "Instead of following them I avoided them. We all do things we shouldn't."

"You're here now." I said, turning to fully face her.

"That's what matters in the end Rick." She met my gaze, sadness marking her strong features. "You're here now." Michonne closed the distance between us and handed me what she had been holding; a new bandage for my leg.

"There wouldn't be a now if I'd done something." Michonne shook her head and the sadness deepened.

"You can't hold on to the guilt Rick. You did what you thought was right for Carl." I placed the bandage on the sink. "You're here for him now." I stared down at Michonne and we were quiet for a long while. I knew she felt guilt just like I did; she'd agreed to stop looking days before the attack.

"Dad!" Carl barreled into the bathroom, ignoring the growing tense between Michonne and I. "Walkers, and a shit tone." I pulled my shirt quickly over my head and started to follow Carl out of the bathroom.

"Where? And watch your mouth." Carl stopped in the middle of the hall and looked back at me. "What?"

"Nothing dad." Even in the time of high angst Carl mustard a smile.

Michonne jerked the tool shed closed and darkness swallowed the three of us. The ragging hoard stalked on outside falling in sync with the Georgia rain storm. I put my hand on Carl's shoulder and leaned against the back wall of the shed with a sigh.

"How long do we have to wait here?" Carl asked, keeping his voice low and steady. Michonne pushed the door open a crack peering out. After a moment she pulled it closed again. The dim light allowed just enough vision to see one another. Michonne shook her head and looked at me.

"I can't see past them." She whispered. I stood up and pulled the copper wire off my belt loop. I tied the door handle to the hook on the wall which held the rake. When I was finished the door was secure enough to withstand the hoard as well as leave us room to look out safely. The three of us sat at the back of the shed, tense and quiet as the walkers swarmed by restlessly.

"Where did they come from?" Carl asked. I looked down at him and frowned. "I mean the town was empty…Michonne and I cleared most of it."

"They're heading up track, just like we were." Michonne whispered. "So they came from somewhere behind us."

"We can't keep going that way." I chimed in. "It's like blindly walking into a trap of walkers if we do."

"We could travel right back into this hoard." Michonne agreed. "We could lay low here for a few days."

"What if that gang is following us?" Carl suggested.

"Then maybe we can get them to travel up the tracks and lose us." Michonne shrugged. I looked to the door and the passing walkers then back to Carl and Michonne.

"We wait here for them to pass and make plans for later when this threat is gone."


	3. Natasha

~Natasha

Daryl was leaned against a tree trunk, a knee bent and one arm propped on it. Beth was lying on his extended leg and his other hand was on her back. I sat heavily next to the dying fire and winced at the searing pain that shot through my left side. I lifted the loose, dirty, white tank top up to look at the gun shot just above my hip bone. The make-shift bandage was soaked in blood and the pain hadn't died down. I pulled my shirt over my head, leaving me in a simple black bra, and then began to undo the bandage.

"That was pretty bold." His hushed voice startled me, causing me to jump. I bit my lip at the pain and nodded.

"Better me than her right?" I shrugged.

"Not a lot of people would take a bullet for someone like that now-a-days." I finished taking off the bandage and let it fall to the moist ground. "Did you take her?" I looked up at Daryl and shook my head.

"I didn't take her…I found her."

"Where?" My gaze fell back to my side. I had cleaned my hands with one of the water bottles and a clean wrap was in my lap. I bit down on a rag and then dug my fingers into the bullet wound, screaming into the white cloth. I ignored Daryl's question until I had finally dug the bullet out. I spat the cloth out onto my lap and held up the bullet.

"I stole her from the man who stole her from you." My response came after long painful pause of silence. I put the bullet in my back pack and folded up the rag, pressing it to my weeping wound. I slowly began to wrap the clean wrap around my waist and the rag.

"You saved her." I nodded and tied the wrap tightly.

"Have been since the second I found her." I pulled my shirt back on and closed my eyes. I heard Beth's sigh of what could only be relief and familiarity.

"Thank you." I looked at him, surprised.

"Yeah… sure." I said, looking down at the little blonde girl. Daryl ran his hand through her ponytail.

"You're the type of people she's always looking for." I shook my head and laid back on the tarp I had put out for us.

"I'm really not." I admitted. "I've hurt a shit tone of people…because I could."

"But you didn't hurt her." I shook my head before draping my arm over my eyes. I exhaled sharply at the pain that still claimed my small frame.

"I don't hurt people who need my help."

Beth crossed her arms and looked at Daryl. Her brow was furrowed and her lips held a deep frown.

"Terminus is where the others would be goin' and you know that." She protested. "Why wouldn't we go?"

"Um maybe because it's a big ass trap." I chimed in, throwing the bag over my shoulder. Daryl nodded to me.

"We don't know who made it, nor do we really know if any of them would go." Daryl said, shaking his head.

"So what, we just stop looking for them?" She asked. "Stop looking for Maggie, Rick, and Judith?" Daryl looked away from her and shook his head again. "We can't just give up on them."

"Beth!" I threw my hands in the air. "There is no such thing as good people anymore dammit!" Beth looked at me then back to Daryl.

"What about you too?" She asked, defeat thick in her demeanor. "You both keep riskin' yur lives to save me."


	4. Unsafe

~Michonne

"They don't spread out anymore." I said as I pushed the shed door open. "I guess there just isn't enough _food_ left out there." The path was empty except for the few walkers who had fallen behind the rest of the hoard. I pulled out my sword and walked over to the first slicing through the center of its face.

"Do you think maybe they'll starve eventually?" Carl asked as he walked out of the shed and looked around. I laughed softly and turned to him.

"Well that's a thought." Rick stopped at the side of the white utility shed and then looked back and us.

"Glenn, go to Terminus. Maggie." As Rick read the message I walked over to join him, stepping over the walker who laid torn open on the ground.

"Maggie's still alive." Carl's lips turned up into a small smile. "We are right behind her." I reached up and touched the blood message. It was dry to the touch, blending and flaking with the old shed paint.

"No." I shook my head and looked to Rick. "We are at least a day, maybe two, behind her." Rick nodded and turned to face the tracks.

"We already agreed we can't go up track yet."

"We can find another way." Carl protested. "Cut across to another set of tracks and then keep going."

"We could try that." I agreed. "But we need to find supplies first. If we cut off course who knows when we'd find the next town…or set of tracks."

"Look, we know there is a group of walkers ahead; we don't know what's in those woods, or who." Rick crossed his arms. "We settle here for the day, stock up on everything, and then tomorrow we keep up the tracks as planned."

"Okay." I said as I turned and decapitated the walker who had been slowly making his way to us. "We head out tomorrow."

~Beth

Natasha walked ahead of us, quietly. She was holding her left side with every step. I looked over to Daryl who was cautiously avoiding Natasha, looking everywhere so as to not look at her. They were so awkward around each other. Every decision was an intense standoff, even if they were on the same side.

"Do y'all know each other?" The question was out before I could stop it. Natasha turned to look at us and I could see the pain in her face.

"No." She said her tone was odd and aggravated. Daryl looked to Natasha and nodded. "Your boyfriend doesn't trust me."

"He's not my boyfriend." My response came off more childish than intended. Natasha giggled and ran a hand through her hair. "Besides, you saved my life. Why wouldn't he trust you?" Natasha looked out into her surroundings and sighed. "Daryl?"

"We should keep moving." Was all Daryl said. Natasha nodded and turned on her heels, pressing forward. After a moment of silent walking I grabbed Daryl's hand and pulled him to a stop.

"Why don't you trust her?" I asked quietly.

"She answered the first two questions wrong." He said slowly. "And refused to answer the last one." I shook my head and kept walking forward.

"At this point Daryl who could answer them right?" I asked. "Every one of us who made it out of that prison would get them wrong." When I looked back to Natasha she had stopped and was looking into the abandoned town next to us.

"I killed them because it was them or me." Natasha said into the awkward silence. "Because if I hadn't eventually they would have."

"How many?" I asked curiously.

"Two dozen." She whispered, shame claiming her demeanor. "An entire group of wonderers."

"Twenty-four people." I gasped. "Why not me."

"We had to survive Beth."

"They kidnapped both of you." Daryl said when my words failed. "That's how you saved Beth…you killed them." Natasha nodded.

"I'm not a bad person and you can trust me…but I understand why you don't."


	5. Found

~Rick

"Daryl!" The scream came from the tracks, down where we had come from. It rang through the empty town and caught the three of us off guard. I stopped and turned back to look behind us.

"Do you think that's…?" Michonne's question trailed off. I looked back at her and Carl. I put my hand on the butt of my revolver and nodded slowly. The decision was made silently as we all rushed towards the tracks. I was the first one to reach the scene to find two very familiar faces.

"Daryl? Beth?" I cocked my head to the side and lowered my revolver. They were standing in the middle of the tracks with dead walkers on all sides of them.

"Dad…" Carl was pointing his pistol at a familiar man who was holding a redheaded woman by the throat.

"Natasha!" Beth lunged towards her. Daryl jerked Beth back to him and the girl raised her hand to stop Beth's advances.

"If you kill her the sheriff over there will drop you in a heartbeat and if he doesn't I will." Daryl said, positioning Beth behind him. I raised my revolver and pointed it at the older man. If Daryl was willing to help her she was worth helping.

"Why hurt yourself when you can hurt other people?" The redhead, I could only assume was Natasha, coughed. Michonne had taken several steps forward and grabbed Beth's arm. She pulled Beth away from Daryl and the two women began to retreat to Carl.

"No sweetheart." The man said as he raised his gun to Natasha's temple. "This is between you and me; these men got nothing to do with it."

"Rick you can't let him kill her." Beth protested.

"Joe, let her go." Daryl took a step forward. "She's not worth it." Joe looked at Daryl and shook his head.

"She shot Tony in the dick and then killed two of my men." Joe tightened his grip on Natasha's throat. Daryl looked back at me and I shook my head, my shot was not clear at all.

"He's right Daryl." The she coughed. "I'm not worth it, take Beth and leave." Daryl shook his head. Michonne positioned herself in front of Beth and Carl, taking a stance with the rest of us.

"I'm not leaving her Rick!" Beth cried out, struggling against Michonne and Carl. I looked back at Beth.

"We won't." I promised. "Just let the girl go." I said as I took a step past Daryl. Joe shook his head and pointed the gun at me.

"You and you're people can go on, safe for now, but you ain't taken the girl." While Joe was distracted by me the girl dug her nails into the wrist he was holding the gun with. I fell back with the others as his gun began to go off. She slammed her knee into his groin, freed her throat, and flipped him onto the ground. She broke the wrist she was holding and took his gun. Joe lay on the ground groaning while she stood over him dominatingly. Daryl and I both joined her, aiming together.

"I'm not going to kill you." She told Joe as she knelt beside him and dug the barrel into his chest. "You don't deserve that."

"That'll be the biggest mistake of your life." Joe started to sit up. Daryl put his foot on Joe's chest and pushed him back down. Natasha stood up and turned to face Beth and Michonne.

"I said I wasn't going to kill you." She scoffed. "You tried to rape Blondie." She took Joe's gun apart and threw the pieces down, keeping the magazine and chamber round for herself.

"What do you wanna do Rick?" Daryl asked me. I looked at him and then back at Carl and the woman.

"We're gonna walk away and leave you to decide that." I said as I stepped back, holstering my gun. "We won't look back and we won't ask." I turned away from Daryl and Joe, walking over to the others. I put my hand on Carl's shoulder and nodded to Michonne.

"I thought you were good people!" Joe yelled as we began to walk away.

"No such thing anymore." Beth said softly. The redhead threw her arm over Beth's shoulder and pulled her closer.


	6. Never Alone

~Natasha

I closed my eyes and let Rick cut my bandage off, revealing the bullet wound. I winced as he peeled the rag away. The blood had dried and the wound had stopped weeping making the rag that much more painful to peel off.

"How'd you do all that?" Rick asked me as he poured the rubbing alcohol over the wound and began to wipe the blood away. I tensed up and muffled a cry of pain.

"I was gonna be a Navy Seal." I answered through clenched teeth. "Had a week of training left."

"Navy Seal?" I opened my eyes and looked down at my wound. "That's impressive." I shrugged and touched the skin around the bullet hole.

"Well…I suppose." I sighed and leaned back against the bathroom mirror. "I only killed two of his men. There was four not including Joe."

"So there are still three out there?" I shook my head.

"Probably only two, I clipped on in the dick." Rick cocked his head to the side and tapped the bandage to my side carefully.

"You think the other two were with him?" I shrugged and pulled my shirt back on. Rick zipped the bag closed and ran a hand through his hair. The tension from before was back and the way Rick looked at me made me feel uncomfortable. I shifted my weight and looked at the shower behind him.

"You wanna ask the questions too?" I asked skeptically. "Daryl already says I failed those." Rick shook his head and looked at the empty doorway.

"I wouldn't either." He confided. "I killed my best friend." I shrugged and jumped off the counter. I groaned and held my side as the pain shot through my body.

"I'm sure there was a good reason." I pulled my belt around my waist and fastened it, clipping the thigh buckles as well. "I've done a lot of things that I wish I hadn't." I took the fifty caliber off the sink and slid it in the back of my pants. Rick had tensed and his hand was rested on the butt of his gun. Rick relaxed as Carl walked into the bathroom.

"Is everything secure?" Rick asked his son. Carl nodded and looked up at me.

"I got shot once." He gave a small smirk. "Hurts really bad." I smiled and crossed my arms.

"Well look here we got ourselves a mini soldier." I giggled and fixed his sheriff hat. "Was it worth it?" I asked seriously. Carl looked at me and pondered my question. Rick put his hand on his hip and waited for his son's answer.

"I think it was." Carl finally responded. I patted him on the back.

"That helps it hurt less later." Carl looked at me confused and watched me walk out into the hallway. As I entered the kitchen so did Michonne; she was coming from the back entrance.

"Back secure?" I asked as I leaned on the island in the middle of the room. Michonne nodded and looked through the mostly empty cabinets. "Rick already looked through all of that." I said softly.

"Terminus? What do you think about it?" Michonne asked suddenly turning to face me.

"I think it's a trap…the only refugee camp for miles in that direction was abandoned and long since overrun." I looked back to be sure we were alone. "Plus this Terminus place has only recently begun broadcasting."

"How do you know that?" Michonne asked skeptically.

"I used to have a transmitter." I shrugged and turned away from her. "Not once did I hear anything about it until the last military stronghold got busted up…then a few weeks later Terminus."

"How long ago was that?"

"A month." I looked back at her in all seriousness. "I wouldn't trust it for anything." Michonne cocked her head to the side.

"Then why did you agree to go?"

"So I wouldn't have to go back out into that world alone." I said softly. "I'd rather walk blindly into a trap."


	7. Heart

~Rick

Natasha Jumped over the counter and began searching the drawers. I finished clearing the bar and met her back at the front. She had laid a few bags of peanuts on the counter as well as a bottle of 150 proof vodka.

"Peanuts and vodka?" I smirked and lifted up the bottle. "I don't think we'll need this." Natasha shrugged and leaned forward on the counter.

"It could come in handy." Natasha looked me over. "A cleaner, a bomb…maybe a good time." I raised a brow at her, questioning her insinuations.

"A good time?" She tossed back her curls and smirked.

"Relax Officer Tense, I was only teasing." Natasha hoisted herself onto the counter and twirled around, sitting in front of me with her legs crossed. "You're not much for flirting are you?" I chuckled and shook my head, looking out at the bar door.

"Well no not really." I looked back at her. The smile on her face was charming and her icy blue eyes had softened. "Been married practically my whole adult life." Natasha smiled and absentmindedly ran her thumb over her ring finger.

"I'm really sorry...I didn't realize." She whispered. I nodded and looked at the bar entrance, neither of us saying a word. I shifted uncomfortably and looked back at Natasha. Her head was bowed and she was clutching the edge of the counter.

"You don't need to be sorry." I told her as I leaned on the counter next to her. She looked at me and bit her lower lip. We sat there staring at one another for what felt like forever. Natasha cleared her throat and looked away from me, inspecting the peanut bags next to her.

"Well this was totally unsuccessful." When Natasha looked back at me I slid my hand into her hair and pulled her into a heated kiss. Natasha wrapped her arms around me and pulled me firmly between her legs. It had been so long since I had even held a woman and Lori had been one of my only experiences. Natasha slid her hands down my chest and found the belt buckle, loosening it and setting it on the counter next to her. I unclipped her belt and holsters placing them with my belt. Natasha's lips left mine and moved down, nipping the nap of my neck. I sat back on the barstool and pulled her hastily into my lap. Natasha pulled away slowly and looked down at me. "We should head back." She whispered as she leaned into me again.

"Yeah…to Carl." Natasha pressed her lips to mine and slid her hands into my hair. I held the small of her back and fed into her.

~Beth

I looked over at Daryl and ran my hand through my hair. He was leaning over the porch railing, continuously stabbing it.

"Daryl, would you just sit down?" I asked softly, making room for him on the bench. Daryl glanced over his shoulder at me.

"Why, so I can relax again? So I can calm down?" It was more of brute mockery than a question. I looked at him, a bit taken back by his aggressive manor.

"No, so I can talk to you." I said softly. "I saw what you did that night." Daryl turned around and looked at me, conflict clear on his face.

"Doesn't matter." He said, leaning against the banister. "Couldn't catch it, couldn't stop it, ain't nothing I could do."

"You tried!" I said as I stood up. "You kept my hope alive Daryl. Every day I was there I knew you'd find me and save me."

"But that's just it Beth, I didn't!" He snapped. "I didn't save you!" I shook my head and turned away from him.

"Yes you did…I would have died that very first night and Natasha would have never met me if it hadn't been for you."

"How is that?"

"I fought because I didn't want you to find just another corpse." I turned back to him and managed a small smile. "I fought because you."

"Beth, I ran and ran until the road split." I rested my hand on his cheek. He closed his eyes and sighed.

"I don't blame you." I assured. I stood on my toes and kissed him on the cheek.


	8. Caught

~Michonne

I placed the bag on the counter and looked across to Rick and Natasha. They had found just as little food as Carl and I. Natasha's hair was pulled back into a ponytail and there was something different about Rick. They stood too close and they seemed too relaxed around one another. I cocked my head to the side and looked back to Carl as he slung his bag on the table.

"We didn't find anything." Carl huffed.

"I think it's time to move on Rick." I said as I emptied the bag in front of me. It had two cans of food and a few other things.

"She's right Rick." Daryl said as he and Beth entered the kitchen. "We can't just sit in this empty town."

"So where do we go?" I asked. "Do we continue up track to Terminus or just go town to town."

"Well regardless of what we do Joe still has men out there." Natasha chimed in. "How do we handle that?"

"We don't even know if they're still following us." Beth countered. "I mean they have a man down, maybe they're nursing him."

"Nah, they don't give a rat's ass about each other." Daryl shook his head and looked down at his hands. "I seen 'em beat one of their own to death." His gaze rose to meet Rick.

"I'll head back down the tracks and see what they're up to." Natasha offered. "There's only two of them." Rick shook his head and took a step back, looking into the living room.

"It's too dangerous. We can't just send someone out there."

"I can go with her." I offered. "Two of us can surely handle the situation." Natasha looked up at me and nodded.

"We'd be okay I'm sure." She smiled.

"No, Daryl should be one of the ones to go out." Rick said, resting his hand on his belt. "He can track back to where they'd been held up."

"I ain't leaving Beth." Daryl protested. Rick and Daryl stared intently at one another for a long time.

"Natasha and I can go." I spoke into the tension. "We'll be fine."

"Yeah." Natasha stepped forward. "We'll be in and out in no problem." Carl huffed and looked around the room.

"Hell I'll go." Carl said, drawing our attention to him. Rick looked from Natasha to me and then back to his son.

"Watch your mouth…How about Natasha and Michonne head out, only a few miles, you and I look for more food in these other houses, and then Daryl and Beth can hold things together here until everyone else gets back." Rick rested his hand on Carl's shoulder and waited for the suggestion to become the decision, which didn't take long as always.

Natasha leaned against the trunk of the tall dying tree. I sighed and looked around the tracks, looking for a sign of people.

"What happened out there today?" I asked as I stopped in front of her. Natasha pulled the hairband out of her hair and looked questioningly at me.

"We couldn't really find anything; guess the town is dried up." She shrugged and started to pull her hair back again. I shook my head and couldn't help but smirk.

"You left a mark you know." I said with a small laugh. Natasha looked away, her cheeks turning a light pink.

"Oops." She whispered. "So you noticed." I nodded.

"Hard not to." I crossed my arms and sighed. "Don't worry; I'm pretty sure no one else saw it."

"I don't know what happened." She said, finally meeting my gaze again. "We were just talking and then it all happened so fast."

"Rick's an easy guy to fall for and I'm sure it's been a while for both of you." I said, giving her a reassuring smile. "Just talk to him tonight and work it out." Natasha smiled and nodded.

"You know I didn't think you liked me." I shrugged and started back towards our camp.

"Who says I do?" I asked teasingly.


End file.
